national popular vote plan pros and cons

And thats not how it should be in a democracy. It was a great idea in 1787 but the country has changed since 1787 and the people today want to elect the president by a simple, direct popular vote where whoever gets the most votes wins like we do in every other election in the country. Texas has 38. 13 Early College High School Pros and Cons, 18 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of the Payback Period, 20 Advantages and Disadvantages of Leasing a Car, 19 Advantages and Disadvantages of Debt Financing, 24 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of a C Corporation, 16 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Mediation, 18 Advantages and Disadvantages of a Gated Community, 17 Big Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Groups, 17 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of Corporate Bonds, 19 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of Annuities, 17 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Advertising. Would they like to see the system changed? But if we set politics aside and focus on what is really best for democracy in our country in the long run I believe that the advantages of using the NPV compact to elect our president outweigh the disadvantages and the best way to elect our president in the 21st century is by direct popular vote using Ranked Choice Voting. One of the biggest reasons why voters dont vote is because they feel like their vote doesnt count. The system had some unusual results from the start, as evident in the election of 1800, a tie in which Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr received an equal number of electoral votes. In the 2016 election, only 58 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement where states in the compact award all their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, no matter which presidential candidate wins in their state, says CU Boulder political scientist Ken Bickers. Lastly, it may cause a third-party candidate to prevail and win, which would allow Americans to be given more choices besides the two primary parties (Richards). 9. cons of the national popular vote plan - lyonbureau.fr The important number is 270. The amendment requires that any change to the rate of compensation for members of Congress can only take effect after a subsequent election in the House of Representatives. Did you know that in 2016, Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote over Hillary Clinton despite losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes? In U.S. history, the electoral college winner has failed to secure the popular vote 5 times. Electors are chosen by the states to actually cast the official votes for president. 8. Processes vary from state to state, with some choosing electors during state Republican and Democratic conventions. Unless the national popular vote was very close, or there were all lot of recounts outstanding, the Compact states in most cases would effectively know what the outcome would be and could be prepared to certify their state votes very quickly to make the Electoral College meeting date deadline. Their vote only counts at the local level, not the national level, because of the electoral votes. If the presidential election were switched to the popular vote, then it would only take about 35% of the vote for a candidate to win. Read the overview below to gain an understanding of the process and explore the previews of opinion articles that highlight diverging views on this voting system. Every state is allocated several votes according to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation. At that stage, anyone who received an electoral vote is eligible to become the next president. Some states list electors names on the general election ballot. Although faithless electors have not affected the results or outcome of an election yet, in 2016, there were 7 faithless electors. In 2016, Gary Johnson received 4.48 million votes and 0 electoral votes, but the potential is always there for this to happen. Each vote would affect each candidate instead of being overlooked due to which state those votes would be coming from. The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset Note: Today we are in a phase where the popular vote in presidential elections leans Democratic. 211 Next However that presumably rare exception happened in the 2000 election when Florida could not complete their statewide recount in time for the Electoral College deadline and the Supreme Court forced Florida to use their first vote count without a statewide recount. (Voters in one of those states, Colorado, on Nov. 3 backed membership in the compact after opponents of the measure collected enough signatures to put the law on the ballot as a referendum.) The country could become less stable and divided if he or she did not have a vast amount of support (Richards). Although Al Gore won the popular vote, George W. Bush earned more electoral votes after a contested Florida recount and a Supreme Court decision. There would be a reduced need to build coalitions. The state legislatures of the cooperating states would . The Founders believed that most common citizens of the day were poorly educated and uninformed on political issues. It would reduce the threshold necessary to win the office. Analyzing the Pros and Cons of Electoral College Reform: Should We How could this happen? A candidate may not have to concentrate anymore, but they may have to move their attention to states such as Texas, New York, California, and Alaska. Although the 20th Amendment to the Constitution provides clarity to this situation, that process is based on the electoral college. Because its so hard to get an amendment to the Constitution passed that means that once it becomes law it will probably remain so for a long time because the bar to change it back is so high. People are moving to live in like-minded communities more than ever before. The states' approval of the compact is a victory for democracy and the principle of "one person, one vote." Some scholars have said they do not wholeheartedly agree with the decision, arguing that it endangers an electors freedom to make decisions they want and that electors are usually picked for their loyalty to a candidate or party. Currently, Republicans control 26 state delegations, while Democrats control 22. So you run a campaign designed to maximize your votes in those few largest states. 3. Four candidates in history have won the popular vote only to be denied the presidency by the Electoral College. The Electoral College has 538 members, with the number allocated to each state based on how many representatives it has in the House plus its two senators. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY: Copyright 2023 NewsHour Production LLC. Since 2008, 15 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to adopt the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), which is an multi-state agreement to commit electors to. What Is The District Plan? This Electoral College Reform - Bustle The popular vote eliminates this issue too. Discuss. The electoral college encourages a two-party system and rewards candidates who have broad appeal. There are arguments that the states with smaller populations are overrepresented in the Electoral College, because every state gets at least 3 electors regardless of population. A close election would trigger the need for a full recount. Unexpected emergencies would be difficult to handle. Students may work individually or in small groups. America is known to have the costliest, prolonged, and complicated structure when electing a head of state. cons of the national popular vote plan - ssmthope.org In contrast, other issues related to the federal government are not exclusively entrusted to the states, and therefore the states lack the power to alter them. Explain that Donald Trump won 304 electoral votes to Hillary Clintons 227. Pros: Gives the smaller states an equal voice. Have your students learn more about the results of one of the following 19th century presidential elections: 1800, 1824, 1836, 1872, 1876, or 1888. By its very nature, the Electoral College system is confusing. That effectively means that votes in the the 75% of the country that are in swing states effectively dont count at all. The Early Learning Fellows Program is a year long opportunity to legislators and legislative staff particularly interested in the topic of early care and education. Would you like to get a custom essay? Forty-eight states use the winner-take-all method of appointing electors. 4. In the 2020 election California did not certify their votes until Friday, December 11, only 3 days before the Electoral College met on Monday, December, 14. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact will guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. If there is a tie vote in a states delegation, the states vote would not count. Surprisingly enough, the National Popular Vote bill could possibly bring forth some problems. Lastly, an election-related case could find its way to the Supreme Court, which would lend greater importance to the judicial makeup of the court, Professor Wehle said. It has also happened four times out of the 56 presidential elections. Some states replace electors and cancel their votes if they break their pledge. The states that join the NPV Compact will not be able to certify their Electoral College Votes until all 50 states and DC certify their state popular votes and any mandated/requested recounts since the Compact state ECVs are dependent on the winner of the national popular vote and not just their own state popular votes. Even though we will be able to elect the president by national popular vote using the The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, eventually the rules for how we elect the president should be an official part of the Constitution. At a time of little national identity and competition among the states, there were concerns that people would favor their regional candidates and that big states with denser populations would dominate the vote. You can use essay samples to find ideas and inspiration for your paper. Inside Ohio or Florida, to pick two examples, the big cities do not receive all the attention, and they certainly do not control the outcome. Scholarly Articles on the Electoral College: History & Definitions 27 Major Pros & Cons Of The Electoral College - E&C Definition and Examples. The Associated Press explains in this five-part animation series. NCSL's experts are here to answer your questions and give you unbiased, comprehensive information as soon as you need it on issues facing state legislatures. Fair or not fair? And in 1888, Benjamin Harrison defeated the incumbent president, Grover Cleveland, in the Electoral College, despite losing the popular vote. The Pros and Cons of Pooled Employer Plans: Debate. Today, opinions on the future of the Electoral College range from protecting it as the basis of American democracy to abolishing it completely as an ineffective and obsolete system that may not accurately reflect the will of the people. Should the Electoral College stay or go? - PBS NewsHour Classroom Some states, such as California and Hawaii, both had their bills vetoed by their governors before it was overridden and enacted by state legislators. The proportional plan retains electoral votes, but awards the votes in each state based on the percentage of votes received in each state (regardless of the districts from which the voters come) by the competing . Copyright 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Education, Explore state by state cost analysis of US colleges in an interactive article, Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections: The Electoral College, University of the Pacific: Electoral College Reform, University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School: The Electoral College. Idea to keep electoral college but add 102bvotes. For the 7 presidential elections between 1992-2016, the Republican candidate has won the Electoral college 3 times. National popular vote - frequently asked questions If some of the 50 states and DC cannot certify their popular votes by the December deadline that could create a constitutional crisis where we would not have all of the state Electoral College votes certified by the time the Electoral College is required to vote according to the Constitution. Reduces voter participation by creating a my vote doesnt matter feeling. The winner would receive all of the compact states electoral votes, giving them at least the necessary 270 to win the White House. Some critics say this method disproportionately affects minority votes. Because every vote is equal inside Ohio or Florida, presidential candidates avidly seek out voters in small, medium, and large towns. The pros and cons of the popular vote structure of an election allow for the majority to have their say in who they wish to serve. That still faces an uphill climb, though. "Pros and cons of the Electoral College it said this about what supporters think about the electoral college "Naturally . Under the electoral college system, the candidates which receive the most votes in each state (or district) receive its assigned electoral votes. If you need 321 electoral votes to win, and you can get 102 by winning the national 354 popular plurality, you need only 219 of the state electoral votes. Evidence as to how a nationwide presidential campaign would be run can be found by examining the way presidential candidates currently campaign inside battleground states. The votes of those who do not live in closely divided battleground states effectively count less. States boyd, william j.d., "electoral college system challenged." national civic review 55.9 (1966): 519-23. Rural voters would almost always be in the minority. The conference's consulting services on policy issues go beyond testifying. This leads to an intense focus on battleground states, as candidates look to boost their electoral advantage by targeting states that can help them reach the needed 270 votes of the 538 up for grabs. After all, the Electoral College makes it possible that a candidate who wins the majority of the votes could still lose the election. One of the main critiques of the Electoral College is that because 48 states choose to allocate electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis (the College is established by the Constitution, but the . Most Popular. Using the NPV system means that every vote counts the same. The Electoral College system has been a topic of debate for many years. Many Americans are confused about how a win is obtained under these conditions and are on a quest to change this traditional statute. Resource allocation would be focused on paid advertising, which would negate the need for grassroots activities. Electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who wins the statewide election, or the popular vote for a single state. All samples were added by students. Then, election officials in all participating states would choose the electors sworn to support thepresidential candidate who received the largest number of popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In theory we could change how we elect our president every four years. All in all, the Electoral College causes many problems that seem unfair to American voters during such an important election. NAPA Net Staff. Under the Electoral College system, voters in states that are overwhelmingly in support of one candidate might feel like their vote is unimportant. Presidential candidates have no reason to poll, visit, advertise, organize, or campaign in states that they cannot possibly win or lose; in 2016, 68% of presidential campaign visits took place in just six states. Constitutional Amendment to Guarantee the Right to Vote for All U.S. Citizens. The House of Representatives picked Adams over Andrew Jackson, who won the popular vote but only a plurality of the Electoral College. In contrast, in a direct popular election, each vote matters equally. It would reduce the influence of third parties on the U.S. presidential election. 805 15th Street, NW, Suite 800 The nations founders hoped to quell the formation of powerful factions and political parties, and they wanted a mechanism that did not rely solely on popular majorities or Congress. It gives each vote an equal amount of power. In the case of a tie, there are contingencies in place to determine which person will serve in the elected office. National Popular Vote is a constitutional and practical way to implement nationwide popular election of the President a goal traditionally supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans. One route would be a constitutional amendment, which would require two-thirds approval from both the House and Senate and ratification by the states, or a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures. That important decision ultimately falls to the Electoral College. Proposed Reforms to the Electoral College. However, in the popular vote, Trump only received 62,984,825 votes against Hillary Clinton's 65,853,516 popular votes. https://www.thoughtco.com/electoral-college-pros-and-cons-4686409 (accessed May 1, 2023). If the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact becomes law it would be an excellent first step to help get a future amendment to the Constitution to replace the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system to elect the president with a national popular vote using Ranked Choice Voting. The obvious reason to keep raising the debt ceiling is that it avoids defaulting on the nation's debts. The National Popular Vote plan would eliminate what critics of the Electoral College system point to as the "winner-take-all" rule - the awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in that state. This advance is referred to as the winner-take-all approach. The NPV Interstate Compact does not eliminate the very complicated Electoral College system that most voters dont really understand. For the popular vote, however, Hillary Clinton received 65.8 million votes, while Donald Trump received 62.9 million votes. Bush and Al Gore (Black). popular vote pros and cons - sky-cover.co.uk Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws that require electors to vote for their pledged candidate. With a popular vote in place, each election win would be decreed a mandate to follow the platform of the winning party. Another movement is attempting to convince states to split their electoral vote based on the percentage of the states popular vote for each candidate. The Electoral College has also awarded the presidency to candidates with a plurality of the popular vote (under 50 percent) in a number of cases, notably Abraham Lincoln in 1860, John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996. Pros and Cons of The U.S. Electoral College - National Popular Vote Each states electoral votes are tallied by Congress in the House chamber by House and Senate representatives on the 6th day of January following the Presidential election. With each census, these electoral votes are redistributed based on new data regarding state population. (Until the ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804, the candidate with the second-highest number of electoral votes became vice president.). I will explain that in another blog post. The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College - SmartAsset The electoral college is a tradition of American politics that's fairly controversial. 1. Join the thousands across the country who instantly rally when there is a threat to our democracy. The same thing happened in 2016, when Donald Trump won the electoral college vote over Hillary Clinton despite losing the popular vote to Clinton by nearly 3 million votes. The first problem it creates is the opportunity for the loser of the popular vote to win the electoral vote. While it has provided a stable and predictable framework for presidential elections, it has also produced several controversial outcomes. This new series from the AP is dedicated to answering commonly asked questions from our audience about the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Donald Trump won the presidential election by securing 304 electoral votes, compared to Hillary Clintons 227 electoral votes. To determine the National Popular Vote winner, state election officials simply would tally the nationwide vote for president based on each states official results. Wyoming had just 3 electoral votes, but only had 255,000 voters as well. Two-thirds of the campaign events were in four states, Florida, Iowa, Virginia, and Ohio, that year. The electoral requires that an election which does not receive a majority of electoral votes be taken into the U.S. House of Representatives. The official 2016 election results from the Electoral College gave Donald J. Trump the victory with 306 electoral votes v. Hillary Clinton's 232 votes. The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College | ipl.org 3. On Dec. 14, as electors gathered across the country to cast their ballots, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had earned 306 electoral votes, 36 more than needed to win. First, have students meet in small groups to discuss and debate. It would eliminate the threat of a faithless elector. The selection of presidential electors is specifically entrusted to the states by the Constitution. ThoughtCo. SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. Prevents disputed outcomes ensuring a peaceful transition of power Reduces the costs of national presidential campaigns. Electoral votes are designated among the states based on Census. However, many people believe that a direct popular election is more democratic and fair than the Electoral College. Additionally, the Founders reasoned that the system would prevent states with larger populations from having an unequal influence on the election. That means some voters, like Republicans in California or Democrats in Mississippi, are voting without power and without attention from their preferred candidates each year. She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University with bachelor's degrees in creative writing, English/American literature and international studies. As an alternative to the long and unlikely method amending the Constitution, critics of the Electoral College are now perusing the National Popular Vote plan designed to ensure that the candidate who wins the overall popular vote in inaugurated president. Over the long run the countrys popular vote in presidential elections has roughly been equally split between Republican and Democratic.*. Without the popular vote bill, swing states would continue to get more leverage and attention from candidates to ensure that they would be able to capture their votes. Currently, candidates focus more on swing and battleground states to help them gain those electoral votes. The President-Elect takes the oath of office and is sworn in as President of the United States on January 20th in the year following the Presidential election (Archives). (2021, February 17). However, there are proposals to reform the Electoral College without abolishing it. Retrieved from https://samploon.com/electoral-college-and-national-popular-vote-pros-and-cons/, Should the Electoral College Be Abolished, Pros for The Electoral College in the United States, Electoral College is Undemocratic but We Have no Better System, The Electoral College Should Be Terminated, The Electoral College Annotated Bibliography. In New Mexico, electors can be charged with a felony if they abandon their pledge, and in Oklahoma a faithless elector could face a misdemeanor charge. The National Popular Vote initiative transpired in 2006. The local laws would take effect only once the compact has enough states to total 270 electoral votes. Dont know what Ranked Choice Voting is? Pro: It's the only way to avoid defaulting. Under the National Popular Vote plan,the compact would take effect only when enabling legislation has been enacted by states collectively possessing a majority of the electoral votes:270 of 538 total. This would happen in the extremely unlikely situation where this candidate would win just for one vote in some . I am confident that when we enter the next phase where the popular vote leans Republican that Republicans will change and be adamant that we should elect the president by direct popular vote and Democrats will be arguing why we should keep the Electoral College/Winner-Take-All system. That is hardly a mandate for governing, though it would be taken as such. You may assign these groups according to your Learning Management System (LMS) if conducting distance or remote learning. Others may struggle to meet higher than expected voter turnout levels. That created a voter value of 2.85. The winner of the states popular vote gets two electoral votes, and one vote is awarded to the winner of the popular vote in each congressional district. How about receiving a customized one? The Electoral College - Top 3 Pros and Cons The same thing happened in 2000. The candidate who placed second in the popular vote was elected in 2016, 2000, 1888, 1876, and 1824. Probably the NPV Compact would be enacted into law with as little as a simple majority of the states and possibly even less. Right now, the President of the United States is not elected by a popular vote. Currently, the National Popular Vote bill has 172 electoral votes. Individual states agree to pledge their electors to the winner of the national popular vote, provided that enough other states follow suit. It could help to reduce partisanship. For example, if a candidate was very popular in New York City, Los Angeles and other large cities, she might not need to earn votes from other areas of the country. NCSL conducts policy research in areas ranging from agriculture and budget and tax issues to education and health care to immigration and transportation. The National Popular Vote would go into effect when states controlling 270a simple majorityof the total 538 electoral votes. Electors are chosen every four years in the months leading up to Election Day by their respective states political parties. Consequently, they decided that using the proxy votes of the well-informed electors would lessen the risk of tyranny of the majority, in which the voices of the minority are drowned out by those of the masses. Maine and Nebraska are the only two states that are not affected by this approach. A direct popular election also ensures that citizens' votes have equal weight. Why or why not? President Trump had earned 232 electoral . In 2016, Florida had 29 electoral votes and 9.4 million voters, created a voter value of 0.72. Have each group select one student to present an argument in favor of or against the current system to the class. Bring about direct popular election of pres and do within change. (2021, Jun 14). Gives too few states too much electoral power. popular vote pros and cons-shootings in south dallasshootings in south dallas What Happens if There Is a Tie in the Electoral College? That means every state is allowed a minimum of 3 electoral votes. For example, if a state used NPV and voted for candidate A, but candidate B received the most votes nationwide, the state would allocate its presidential electors to candidate B. Because of how the system is set up, it is possible for one candidate to win the popular vote and another to win the electoral vote.
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